State-Building From the Outside-In: UNMIK and its Paradox

If most of the literature on state-building has extensively covered
the question of the increasing interference by United Nations
peacekeeping missions, including the broadening scopes and
mandates of these missions, not much has been said about
the political dilemmas that the exercise of these competencies
tend to create locally. This article will explore the particular
legitimacy paradox affecting direct governance by an international
administration. The article’s main argument is that direct
governance by an international administration tends to create
the conditions for its own illegitimacy, portraying the statebuilding
process as exogenous to the local society. This article
will specifically analyze the UN Mission in Kosovo, one of the
most comprehensive and yet most challenged state-building
attempts the UN has faced.